Austronesian Vanguard
Summary The Austronesian Vanguard is a military dictatorship, operating autonomously long before the Terran Empire collapsed. Its internal structure hearkens back to the military command structures of the 20th century. Robots comprise a critical component of the combat forces of the Vanguard. History The Vanguard was created in a combined effort of many Oceanic, South Pacific, and Southeast Asian peoples to find new life out among the stars. Their islands and shores on earth had been flooded and eroded by the ever rising tides, as global climate change took hold. With not enough space to keep moving inland, General Hone Vega of New Zealand saw his people were in trouble as were islanders in all over the pacific. Within a few years, he had gathered support from enough Austronesian allies and compatriots to leave their overcrowded world in search of a new home beyond Sol -- a place for all of them to bask in the sun. "When the tides rise, so must the ambitions of men!." -General Hone Vega However, long duration space travel was in its infancy. First generation interstellar ship designs were crude, compact, and lacked the same safety standards found on civilian contemporaries for intra-system travel. These vessels were more for military expeditions, but the desperate situation allowed for no alternatives. In spite of this limitation, General Vega, together with a large contingent of Austronesians, and various additional island folk from all parts of the globe accepted the great risk involved in the journey. This Vanguard of humanity relied heavily on automation to mitigate the hazardous regions of space where repairs and maintenance were made impractical by space suits of the era, which lacked comprehensive protection. Utility drones, robot workers, and skilled remote operators became a staple in everyday life for the fleet. During the journey, minimal sensor interference was at a premium to navigate effectively towards promising sections of space and scope out prospective planets from so many light years away. As a result Vanguard ships flew in formations exceptionally spread out from one another. Each large vessel and its associated group of support craft had to be able to act independently from the rest of the fleet. Highly respected officers were put in command of each of group, such that they could act autonomously and still uphold the ideals of the Vanguard if they got separated. These officers were later promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, once colonization began. The rank of Fleet Admiral is the most highly revered titles within the Austronesian Vanguard. Originating Peoples The bulk of the Vanguard originated from New Guinea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Hawaii, Philippines, and the Solomon Islands. However, smaller groups of Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Jamaicans, coastal Russians, and Greek islanders joined in as well. Military Structure There are two main branches of the Vanguard's military: Fleet & Planetary Defense Militia. The Fleet is the primary component, maintaining a mobile standing force. The Planetary Defense Militia acts as the reserve component, protecting individual planets and supplementing the Fleet whenever necessary.